The plight of Iraq's Yazidis

Yazidis in fight for survival

Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect walk towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, Aug. 11, 2014. ISIS militants have killed at least 500 members of Iraq's Yazidi ethnic minority during their offensive in northern Iraq, prompting tens of thousands of Yazidis and Christians to flee for their lives.

Credit: Rodi Said/Reuters

Yazidis in fight for survival

Iraqi Yazidi women who fled the violence in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, sit at a school where they are taking shelter in the Kurdish city of Dohuk, Iraq, Aug. 5, 2014.

The Yazidis, are a small community that follows a 4,000-year-old faith and have been repeatedly targeted by jihadists who call them "devil-worshipers" because of their unique beliefs and practices.

Credit: Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images

Yazidis in fight for survival

Yazidis in fight for survival

Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community cross the Iraqi-Syrian border over the Tigris River at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, Aug. 11, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq.

Credit: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images

Yazidis in fight for survival

A girl from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing the violence in the Iraqi town of Sinjar, rests at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing in Fishkhabour, Dohuk province, Aug. 13, 2014.

Credit: Youssef Boudlal/Reuters

Yazidis in fight for survival

Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, who fled the violence in the Iraqi town of Sinjar, shout slogans as they take part in a demonstration at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing in Fishkhabour, Dohuk province, Aug. 13, 2014. Demonstrators demanded protection and evacuation from Iraq to safer areas such as Europe and the United States.

Credit: Youssef Boudlal/Reuters

Yazidis in fight for survival

Worn-out footwear, left behind by displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect after they received new ones by aid groups, lie amongst garbage on the ground at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing in Fishkhabou, Dohuk province, Aug. 13, 2014.

Credit: Youssef Boudlal/Reuters

Yazidis in fight for survival

Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect take refuge in the southeastern Turkish town of Silopi, near the Turkish-Iraqi border crossing of Habur, Aug. 12, 2014.

Credit: Kadir Baris/Reuters

Yazidis in fight for survival

Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect re-enter Iraq from Syria at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing in Fishkhabour, Dohuk province, Aug. 10, 2014.

Credit: Ari Jalal /Reuters

Yazidis in fight for survival

Members of the Kurdish Red Crescent help displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence in Sinjar from forces loyal to ISIS make their way towards the Syrian border, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh, Aug. 11, 2014.

Credit: Reuters

Yazidis in fight for survival

Displaced members of the Yazidi sect arrive in Sulaimaniya province, Aug. 8, 2014.

Credit: Reuters

Yazidis in fight for survival

Smoke rises during clashes between Kurdish "peshmerga" troops and ISIS militants on the outskirts of Sinjar, Aug. 5, 2014.

Credit: Reuters

Yazidis in fight for survival

An Iraqi Yazidi woman who fled the violence in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, cries as she stands among others at a school in the Kurdish city of Dohuk in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, Aug. 5, 2014.

Credit: Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images

Yazidis in fight for survival

Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect use an abandoned building as their main residence outside the city of Dohuk, Aug. 14, 2014.

Credit: Youssef Boudlal/Reuters

Yazidis in fight for survival

Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, who fled the violence in the Iraqi town of Sinjar, use an abandoned building as their main residence near Dohuk, Iraq, Aug. 14, 2014.

Credit: Youssef Boudlal

Yazidis in fight for survival

Yazidi refugees ride on a truck as they are evacuated from Mount Sinjar with the help of members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), Aug. 13, 2014. They are seeking shelter in the Newrooz camp in Syria's al-Hasakah province.

Credit: Rodi Said/Reuters

Yazidis in fight for survival

Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, who fled the violence from ISIS forces settle in abandoned houses as they take shelter in Mount Sinjar, Aug. 13, 2014.

Credit: Rodi Said/Reuters

Yazidis in fight for survival

A displaced woman from the minority Yazidi sect covers her feet with clothes as she walks towards the Syrian border near the town of Elierbeh, Aug. 11, 2014.

Credit: Rodi Said/Reuters

Yazidis in fight for survival

Women from the minority Yazidi sect rest in an abandoned building being used with other displaced people as their main residence outside the city of Dohuk, Iraq, Aug. 14, 2014.